Aristocrat's nanny stole from family's bank accounts

A trusted nanny employed by the Duke of Richmond’s daughter used the family’s
bank cards to withdraw more than £12,000 from their accounts, a court heard.

Ben and Lady Louisa CollingsPhoto: DOMINIC O'NEILL

By Anita Singh

6:30AM BST 05 Oct 2011

Beatrice Dalton, 25, was treated as “an integral part of the family” that owns the Goodwood estate in Sussex, home to the famous racecourse and Festival of Speed.

She was hired to care for the children of Lady Louisa Collings and her businessman husband, Ben Collings. Lady Louisa is daughter to Charles Gordon Lennox, the 10th Duke, and sister to the Earl of March, who founded the festival and lives at Goodwood House.

Over a period of 12 months, she allegedly helped herself to £12,090 by secretly withdrawing money from four bank accounts, including one at Coutts, believing the family “had so much money that they would not notice”.

Dalton, a qualified childminder, denies fraud.

Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard that Dalton was paid £7 an hour to look after the children at the Collings’ home in Presteigne, Powys, and was provided with a car by Lady Louisa.

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Hywel Hughes, prosecuting, told Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court: “She was an integral part of the family, a trusted and valued member.

“As such, to make life easier, she was entrusted with debit and credit cards, with relevant pin numbers. That gave her access to funds to pay out for what was needed in the way of groceries and other associated household items and items for the family.

“She was given that trust on the understanding that she would not abuse that trust. Sadly, this case clearly points to the fact that the defendant started to get greedy.”

During one two-month period, Dalton allegedly made 11 cash withdrawals of between £200 and £500 each.

Mr Hughes said: “ She realised that she could use the cards and her employers were not thorough enough in checking.

“That’s why there were such wholesale withdrawals. She was also going on holidays at this time.

“She chose to dishonestly remove monies she was not entitled to from the family finances thinking, maybe, that they had so much money that they would not notice.